Last February I wrote a blog post titled “Tree by the Pasture” featuring one of my favorite trees, plus it is (was) across the street from my house in a vacant lot beside the houses on the edge of the cow pasture. Well I was quite troubled the other day when I heard a chain saw continuing most of the day Monday and continuing on Tuesday and went over to see what was happening, fearing they would take down that beautiful tree to build another ugly house, which is what they seem to be doing.
I’ve since learned that it is a Higueron Tree.
Or a Giant Banyan Tree.
Well, below are my photos of the following 2 days of their chainsaw massacre. Will they leave the ugly stub or eventually level it?
Second Day, Tuesday: Hoping It’s Only a “Trim”
I had hopes they would stop with this rather drastic “trim” when they went to lunch Tuesday, but no, they returned and continued the killing of a beautiful giant of nature. This destruction was not necessary! Imagine a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright style house built around this tree as a beautiful work of natural art.
Third Day, Wednesday . . .
Reduced to a stub.
Fourth & Fifth Days, Thursday & Friday . . .
They did not work on it the rest of the workweek, leaving this ugly scar. I will be surprised if they leave it like this, but if they do, there is a possibility that it might survive and grow new limbs as nature has a great desire to survive. But it will never be the same!
Revised Final Statement – It’s the Property Owner Not the Board!
I apologize that I blamed the Homeowner’s Association and the employees for allowing or doing this destruction of a beautiful big tree. A board member contacted me to say they were distraught also about the loss of this great tree and that the landowner is the one who decided to cut it down and he/she owns it and has the right to do so. So shame on whoever that is! Note that it was an employee that said it was cut down because of the water shortage here. I don’t know if that is why the owner cut it. Maybe I was right the first time saying they would probably build a rent house there.
Still Sad.
🙁
“Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish eaten, the last river poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.”
Cree Indian Adage
Thank you so much for that quote A.J. ! I live in a country that is doing more to save forests and trees than most, including the U.S. but for some people here it is more talk than action! Plus this gated community I now live in is 60% expats (mostly Americans who care more for their money). I’ve thought about moving to a rural area, but you have some of the same disregard for nature there with farmers being some of the most destructive of the land, plus then I couldn’t walk to town as I now do. When helpless to stop this kind of destruction, I just scream a little online and move on. Still love it here!
Charlie, I completely agree. Shameful destruction! That higueron tree was beautiful. It not only provided oxygen, it stored carbon, provided shade for the pasture, gave birds a place to roost, and beautified the landscape. In my opinion, there is nothing “verde” about Roca Verde or, at least, very little. Atenas needs a reforestation campaign. If it makes you feel any better, my conservation organization, the Rivers and Forests Alliance, will be planting 1,000 trees next weekend by the Pacuare River to better our planet. 🙂
Thank you so much for your comments Shannon and for giving me the name of that beautiful tree! I’m just a renter here with no power or influence over such decisions other than to “scream” here on my blog. 🙂 Which I will keep doing.
And thank you for your tree planting efforts. I recently donated a hundred dollars for tree planting in the non-park areas of the Osa Peninsula. Tree planting may become my new passion. Again, thank you for all the good things you do!
Oh Charlie!!!
So SAD!!! So sorry!!!
Gordona
Yes Gordona, very sad! Read the other comments by friends. Then go plant a tree somewhere! 🙂 Somehow, around the world, we must start planting trees as fast or faster than “they” are cutting them down!
Charlie, I am a tree planter! We have an organization in Tulsa called UP WITH TREES. I have belonged to it well over 30 years. For my company’s 25th anniversary there were several trees planted in our honor,. I am still planting those trees!
Great Gordona! Keep it up! It is the answer to this kind of destruction. Plant more trees. Now go back to my post above where I added a POSTSCRIPT with the homeowner association’s excuse for cutting down the tree, the association’s water well is going dry and the tree drinks too much water. Crazy!
Another yeah! for Gordona!
Have you met my brother, Billy Cuenca?
I don’t think I’ve met Billy or don’t remember if I have. Does he live here in Costa Rica? And by the way, I added a postscript to my post above with the homeowner’s association’s excuse for cutting down the tree which I don’t buy.
Since a lot of people who have read the post will not see the POSTSCRIPT I added above with the homeowner association excuse for cutting the tree, I will copy it here for more too see:
POSTSCRIPT: RV Association staff say they cut this grand tree because the RV water well nearby is dry and a big tree takes water from the well. Hmmm. I live across the street from the tree and my landlord has his own well for our 5 houses and we have plenty of water. Maybe the association needs to look at a different location of their well or better yet, multiple wells! Or negotiate for city water.
I don’t buy their excuse for killing a beautiful giant tree! Roca Verde is no longer verde! To think that killing one tree will provide water for hundreds of houses is stupid, stupid, stupid! That makes me just as angry as if a rich landlord cut it down to build a house! ?
I’m sorry to see the loss of that beautiful tree! It is sad to see so little regard for such a beautiful and helpful tree. I’m glad you have pictures of the tree in all its glory but that will not make up for its loss. I feel fortunate that most people where I live have a love and respect for trees. When I do see a beautiful tree destroyed like this I hurt for the tree and the creatures that benefited from it.
Thanks Bonnie! Glad you are surrounded by people who respect trees.
If you catch my postscript, you will see that the reason was not a greedy landlord but a stupid employee of the association who thought the big tree was why their water well was going dry. Hard to believe! The whole subdivision simply does not have enough water and that one nearby well is not large enough. So instead of spending money on a new well, he cuts down a big tree. Stupid! Sure glad my landlord has a well on our property for our 5 houses. and we have plenty of water.
No I haven’t.
I agree!!! That IS CRAZY!!!